TRAITORS

American has had traitors in every war we've been in - this one is no different. - S.L.


The Americans being held in Pakistan on possible terrorism-related charges were arrested in a house linked to militants in an eastern Pakistani city; Sargodha is home to a major air force base and is a known pocket of militant insurgency. Pakistani police reports suggest they intended to get terrorist training there and join with the Taliban to fight against American troops in Afghanistan.



American Muslims arrested by Sargodha Police Department on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. From left to right: Waqar Hussain Khan, Ramy Zamzam, Umar Farooq, Ahmad Minni, Aman Yemer. (AP Photo/Sargodha Police Department)

Waqar Hussain Khan, 22, was born in Virginia.

Ramy Zamzam, 22, was studying at Howard University to be a dentist — he maintained a 4.0 grade-point average.

Umar Farooq, an accounting student at George Mason University, was born in Sargodha.

Ahmed Minni, 20, was born in Virginia.

Aman Yemer, at 18 the youngest of the five, was born in California.


The young men grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. They had been friends for years. Some were in college now. Some had jobs. Some had Facebook pages filled with friends.


I know this town well. You couldn't find a more all-American city; Alexandria is closely related to the founding of our country. I have many friends throughout Fairfax County who I often visit during military-related business trips to the DC area. They are loyal readers and often contribute to STORMBRINGER -S.L.


Their families insist they never revealed a hint of extremism. Families and friends portray them as innocent, decent citizens. Neighbors used terms like "good guy" and "friendly" to describe the young men.


Facebook page disappeared from the Web:

Zamzam's bewildered Facebook friends set up a special page asking for help finding the missing students and praying for their safe return. Postings on the page earlier in the week said the Facebook friends were trying to raise awareness about the five men who "have been missing for some time now." By Friday 11 December, that Facebook page disappeared from the Web after the students turned up arrested in Pakistan on possible terrorist-related charges.


Not Trusted by the Taliban:

The group appeared to communicate online, and Pakistani investigators say they visited web sites that showed attacks against the U.S. military in Afghanistan. Those internet connections may have led them to Pakistan, where they reportedly met with representatives from the al-Qaida-linked Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group in the southeastern city of Hyderabad and from a related group, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, in Lahore. Pakistani officials say the men were also in contact with a Taliban recruiter.

But their efforts to join the jihadi fight were rebuffed, because they were not trusted.


Shock and Disbelief at Alexandria Mosque:




In northern Virginia, family friends, including fellow worshippers at the Islamic Circle of North America's small chapter mosque — a converted single-family home tucked into their residential neighborhood — can't believe what they're hearing about the students.

"They had jobs, they were in school. They were normal kids," said the families' lawyer, Nina Ginsberg.


Friends in Shock, Plead for Families' Privacy:

"I know they're very sad," said Dr. Essam Tellawi, a volunteer at the mosque who fills in sometimes as the imam. "It's very hard to hear about your son is missing."


Analysis: We Are Under Attack.

We're seeing it over and over again; there's a common thread going on here: young men of Middle-Eastern origin, above average intelligence, born and/or raised in the West of immigrant families; in a case of confused loyalties decide to go to war against their own country:

Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan.

The 7/7 London Bombings of 2005

Glasgow Airport Terror Attack, June 2007.

This is a part of the phenomenon I have coined Self-Induced Jihad Syndrome.

- Sean Linnane

..

FLAG DISPUTE UPDATE

Colonel Van T. Barfoot, Medal of Honor:




It looks like this thing is growing legs . . . the law firm of Coates & Davenport have already gone into Damage Control Mode:


Statement from the Sussex Square Homeowners Association

Dec. 3, 2009

The Sussex Square Homeowners Association never intended its request that Col. Barfoot remove his flag pole as an affront to his patriotism.

This is not about the American flag. This is about a flag pole. And Col. Barfoot is not being forbidden from displaying an American flag.

With its request that he remove the flag pole, the association was discharging its duty to all the owners in the neighborhood. The association's position has merit and is supported by its Bylaws, Rules and Declaration of Restrictions and Covenants.

The association is optimistic that this matter can be resolved in a way that is mutually satisfactory to all parties and looks forward to Senator Mark Warner's involvement toward that end.

Anyone who wishes to offer comments may do so at colbarfootsflagpole@gmail.com

Thank you,

Coates & Davenport
Richmond, Virginia



So I went back and checked the story, as it was originally reported to me:

In December 2009, the HomeOwners' Association (HOA) of Sussex Square, where 90-year-old Van T. Barfoot lives in Henrico County, Virginia, ordered him to remove the flagpole from which he flies the American flag. The HOA retained a lawyer to help enforce their order. The Association's bylaws do not forbid flagpoles, but the HOA ruled Barfoot should not be allowed to use his "for aesthetic reasons". Mr. Barfoot is contesting the order.


I don't want to come off sounding like a barracks lawyer, but it sounds to me like Colonel Barfoot has a pretty good case going for him.


Anybody who prowls the I-95 corridor like I do knows it is literally infested with veterans, and we have our fair share of lawyers and activists who are constantly on the lookout for issues like this to make their own. The opening salvos of this campaign have already been fired, apparently:


The American Spectator

Nissan Offroad Bulletin Board community - NOR

A little friendly note to you guys over at NOR: "The Medal is often mistakenly referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor, due to the requirement of an act of Congress; the official and correct title is the Medal of Honor" - S.L.



It's all over Facebook, predictably enough . . . (there's a legitimate reason you won't find me there - S.L.)







Check it out: a UNITED STATES SENATOR has weighed in on this thing!






And he makes the same point I did:

"I have been informed that the covenants governing this neighborhood association do not expressly forbid installation of flag poles
and that the association opposed the flag pole on the grounds of its aesthetics."

- Jim Webb, United States Senator


The OTHER United States Senator from Virginia is on it as well:

"Senator Warner called Col. Barfoot on Wednesday night to offer his support and assistance. The Senator met Barfoot several times in recent years, most notably at the 2005 groundbreaking for a state veteran's facility in Richmond that bears Barfoot's name."

Senator Mark R. Warner, Virginia


Last but not least there's this fivecolcebrilt guy:

A 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner is involved in a dispute with a neighborhood association that wants him to remove a flag pole from his front yard. Supporters, among them a United States senator, are supporting the medal winner, Van T. Barfoot, a World War II veteran. Mr. Barfoot put up a 21-foot flagpole in September. He raises the flag daily at sunrise and retires it at sunset. But the Sussex Square homeowners association in Richmond said the flagpole violated the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines and ordered him to remove it by Dec. 11 or face a lawsuit.


So we're pulling up some pretty heavy artillery here for the Colonel . . .

. . . I'm guessing it won't be long now . . .





Thank you for all your support so far . . . you know who you are . . . we will continue to monitor the situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . S.L.